1.1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to hangers for trouser suspenders or braces and more particularly to hangers for suspenders of the type having three straps, each strap having a pair of stems connected therewith, and each stem having a slot extending therethrough for engagement with a garment button.
1.2. Background Art
Numerous inventions have been made in order to solve the problem of hanging trouser suspenders when they are not in use. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,156 and 4,718,546 relate to means for hanging of suspenders of the type having stems with slots therein for engageably receiving buttons disposed interiorly on a trouser waistband. Such hangers are in the from of a flat body having an upwardly extending hook portion. In the '156 patent, the hanger has a pair of foldable strips, each strip being configured compatibly with suspender stems to receive and retain the slotted ends thereof. In the '546 patent, the hanger has a pair of openings extending therethrough and an elongate member is cantilever-supported in each opening and configured compatibly with a pair of suspender stems and their button slots to retain the stems by releasable engagement with the slots.
The aforementioned prior art is directed to solving the problems of displaying suspenders at the point of purchase without need for removing the suspenders from their containers. The structures of the hangers disclosed in both patents and their objects determine that they are useful for marketing purposes only; their structural features preclude their use for domestic and personal purposes to suit the needs of fastidious wearers. The main reasons for this are that they are not adapted for frequent use in hanging and releasing suspenders simply and quickly. For instance, the foldable straps in U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,156 are easily broken after multiple use. In addition, opening and closing suspender-engaging members consume time and are an inconvenience. The hanger disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,546 is not capable of securely retaining the slotted stem under conditions of storage by the user. Thus, the personal and domestic use requirements for suspender hangers call for improvements in prior art versions.
In addition, materials suitable for use in fabricating hangers of the type disclosed in the above patents are determined by their purpose of service and the disclosed integral structure, particularly the foldable straps and the releasable engagement. In the case of plastic or similar synthetic materials, cost considerations in making moulds and cutting become problematic. For synthetic leather or other substitutes, experienced cutting skill is needed and the cost of appropriate cutting equipment is high. Therefore, the high cost and complex problems in manufacturing hangers needs to be addressed.
The present invention has as a primary object to provide simple and cheaply manufactured hangers for the hanging of the stem/slot type of suspenders to meet the needs of personal and domestic use, in addition to point-of-sale display requirements of haberdashers.
Another object of the invention is to provide hangers capable of being used very handily and quickly.
Yet another object of the invention to provide hangers capable of accurate engagement with the ends of stem/slot type suspenders.